


Take Note, It's Not Impressive

by Blitz_Unite



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Don't have high expectations i dont want to dissappoint u, Friendship, Gen, Health Issues, M/M, No Plot/Plotless, Research, Slow Burn, This Is STUPID, Threats, Writing Exercise, but ull hv to read the notes to find out, honestly theres not a lot of romance, its a type of a/b/o, this is one of the cringiest things ive ever written
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:22:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27244159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blitz_Unite/pseuds/Blitz_Unite
Summary: The paper was really just a strip, long and narrow, hastily crumbled and stuffed into his jacket. He unfurled it, ignoring Max and Charles’ stare off, though he really ought to stop them before they got too much and inevitably started releasing their hormones like Lewis.“Oh, shit,” he whispered when he finally saw what was written on the paper.---Lando faces some trouble but he doesn't know from where.---Title from Fall Out Boy 'The Kids Aren't Alright'
Relationships: Alexander Albon/George Russell, Charles Leclerc/Lando Norris, Lando Norris & Carlos Sainz Jr, Lando Norris & Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton/Sebastian Vettel (mentioned)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 53





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have several A/B/O fics that I haven’t posted and they all have the same system. There are alphas and omegas like normal. But there are three types of betas, A-Beta (a beta who has slightly more alpha hormones but it doesn’t overpower their beta ones, leads them to quicker aggression), True Betas (beta to the full), O-Betas (betas with slightly more omega hormones, often making it harder for them to gain muscle). These are called the ‘second gender’ but really they’re more of body types such as a more specific endomorph, mesomorph and ectomorph.  
> This is the order of who is more traditionally ‘powerful’ (like how the past usually put men as superior to women):  
> -Alphas  
> -A-Betas  
> -True Betas  
> -O-Betas  
> -Omegas  
> This is the order from most common to least common in most countries:  
> -A-Betas  
> -Alphas  
> -O-Betas  
> -True Betas/Omegas  
> *There is nothing inherently sexual about A/B/O in my fics. It is a blend of common traits (such as omegas tend to be more passive or in general less headstrong, while the opposite is true for alphas), biological power, and historical roles similar to those of men and women where the omegas were regarded as inferior like how women used to be. There is also nothing inherently ‘wolf’ like in my fics as instead of it being animal traits passing on to humans, it’s more biological including taking reference from blood types. There will be things referred to as ‘smells/musks/hormone releasing’ that is just when a person exerts their pheromones to either establish superiority, or showcase their emotions, it has less effect if people are the same gender/second gender and it’s a bit different for everyone.*  
> -Lasts 3-6 days and they know when they start getting different coloured spots in areas which differ from person to person-  
> Alphas: Ruts - more aggravating, more irritable, more aggressive, have to take meds to not let their alpha hormones get too much (for women this corresponds with periods). Red coloured spots. Also eye colour when they choose to flash their eyes or lose themselves to their hormones/instincts.  
> All types of Betas: Guls - literally dead tired, sore all over, feeling sluggish and heavy, have to take meds to not let their beta hormones get too much (for women this corresponds with periods). Yellow/golden coloured spots. Also eye colour when they choose to flash their eyes or lose themselves to their hormones/instincts.  
> Omegas: Heats - more sensitive, more sad in general and more tired, have to take meds to not let their omega hormones overpower them (for women this corresponds with periods). Blue coloured spots. Also eye colour when they choose to flash their eyes or lose themselves to their hormones/instincts.

Lando was the only omega on the grid. 

But it wasn’t a big deal, really, it wasn’t. Secondary gender didn’t play nearly as big of a role in society as it did before. Now, people didn’t even try to hide it such as many omegas used to in the past and even some female alphas and male betas. So really, Lando had nothing to worry about. It wasn’t like he was a female omega, not that there was anything wrong with that, but the past’s social stigma against the two genders may make it a big deal. Which sucked, and he hoped greatly it would change in the near future. 

“I have nothing to worry about,” he said out loud, purposely filling the sentence with confidence as he steeled himself in front of the large doors to a private hotel room the drivers had booked for a ‘casual gathering’ before they were all competing again the next day. 

“Of course  _ you _ don’t, I on the other hand, will be forced to hang out with a bunch of kids while you socialise,” Carlos whined, the a-beta coming up to stand next to him. 

“Oh shut up, you know you’re going to end up on a call with Nico no matter what,” Lando broke into a smile, it was useless to think about all that historical stuff. Yes, he felt more comfortable and relaxed when omegas were there, but it’s not like other secondary genders made him feel uncomfortable. He simply wasn’t used to it as much, it was the same as him going to hang out with all girls. Not uncomfortable, just not  _ as _ comfortable. 

Carlos pushed open the door, leading him and Lando inside. It indeed was a casual room, mostly large puffy couches, a couple of chairs and a table filled with edibles. There was a television playing some football game but it seemed Kimi was the only one paying attention, huh, surprising. 

“Hey guys!” it was Daniel who spotted them, coming over quick with Max grumpily following. 

Lando gave a watery smile, desperately trying to make it more sturdy. “What’s up?” he grinned. Max emerged from behind Daniel, inching closer while Carlos and Daniel participated in a tension filled stare off. Norris had no idea why, they had never been the best of friends, but recently something had gone awry between them. It wasn’t even dislike, they seemed more wary than anything as they looked at each other. He had seen the attempts to repair whatever it was between the both of them, they were trying but neither knew the actual problem. 

Max was the one to steal his attention, the Alpha nudging him. “We’re deciding what movie to watch, come help?” Then after the two started walking slightly ahead of Daniel and Carlos, Max leaned in even closer. “What’s up with them?” he muttered. 

“I have no idea,” Lando murmured back. “They’ve been like that for a while,”

“We’re not going to watch a Tom Cruise movie, Alex!” George was yelling, swatting at the aforementioned man. “Just because one person once told you like five years ago, that you’re an asian Tom Cruise,”

“There’s resemblance,” Albon insisted, making Max snort. 

“You guys are hopeless,” Charles shook his head, soft smile blooming on his face once he saw Lando. He came over to give Lando a side hug, the True Beta’s touch full of warmth. “Ah finally, someone who makes sense.”

“What about Shrek?” Lando replied brightly, grinning even wider when Dan’s dragged out “yes!” flew from a few feet away. 

Leclerc shook his head in resignation, but the smile stayed in place. “Nevermind,”

“Mate, you’ve got a dare to do,” George gestured towards Lewis, snickering. Lando groaned, he shrugged off his jacket and threw it on the couch, sending pleas through his eyes to a very confused Charles and Max. “Hey, no backing out now,”

They had been way too drunk for this dare to stick, but Lando wasn’t a quitter. He could still remember this, just a few nights ago, the three former rookies playing truth or dare, high on the feeling of rebelling even though technically they weren’t doing anything wrong. Alex was the one who made this particular dare, devil he was under all that niceness. He steeled himself once again, pushing down any anxiety. He wasn’t a chicken. 

Lewis looked as if he was about to leave, leaning near the entrance/exit of the hall next to Vettel. They were conversing in clipped tones, but no tension was there, Lando shook his head, he had no idea how they’re friendship worked. Sighing, he cast one last look at George, whose face fueled his competitiveness. Oh god, this was going to be embarrassing. Vettel noticed him first, the A-Beta smiled but sent a curious look. God, the grid really was filled with A-Betas, seven of them out of twenty. And six out of the rest thirteen were Alphas. “Hey um, this is kind of stupid, but I need your help with something,” the words came out painstakingly slow and awkward, Hamilton had definitely noticed Lando stumble over a few of them. “Uh, alone?”

Sebastian snorted, but still walked a few paces away, leaving Hamilton standing expectantly. “Well here goes,” Lando muttered before speaking louder. “Alex is a devil, and I have been caught in his trap. You should like, confirm your relationship with Seb, especially because Alex doesn’t believe me,” The effect was immediate, Lewis stopped masking his smell and those goddamn alpha pheromones make Lando nauseous as always. He almost fell but still barked out an apology, a bit too woozy to properly hear Lewis’ laugh at Norris’ jump when the wave had hit him. But then the older frowned when Lando still struggled to get his bearings. “Um, sorry again, not used to-” he stopped, struggling how to say that it was hard suddenly being hit with Alpha’s biology especially when he didn’t have any Omegas to balance it out. 

“Sorry, I forgot,” Lewis turned off his hormone output like a switch, it was impressive really, there were plenty of people who had to take at least a few seconds. That’s what being a professional looked like. 

“Not your fault man,” Lando conjured a weak smile, still reeling a bit. Damn it, he really had to start being more prepared at all times. Even if you were walking in the mall, some people didn’t bother turning off their pheromones because yeah it was comfortable, not uber socially acceptable, but comfortable. It was mostly alphas and betas though, omegas usually didn’t for safety reasons. “Also, please kill Alex not me.”

“Why were you guys talking about it anyway? And how did you know?”

“You’re pretty obvious, mate,” Lando snorted. “Especially when you guys aren’t out in public,”

“I’m trusting you here, you know,” it wasn’t a question, a statement. 

Lando turned serious. “Of course, even at our worst we would never reveal anything.” Lewis smiled, but his eyes flitted to another person. The Omega giggled, “go hang out with your boyfriend,”

“That didn’t look…” George noted when he came back, a small pout on his face. 

The Omega grinned. “Joke’s on you guys, I think he likes me even more now. And Alex, pay up, mate.”

“He confirmed?” Albon asked, shoulder’s drooping. Lando gave a nod, leaving George to console his fellow A-Beta. He scanned his eyes over the hall, it seemed the players had finally decided on a movie. Some horror comedy. Though that’s not what he was looking for, well, he didn’t really know exactly what it was he was trying to find. But that didn’t seem like it fit the bill.  _ Ah. _ His jacket. 

It wasn’t on the couch though, he frowned, turning to George and Alex, but the two were so caught in whatever dramatic skit they were acting out and Lando would rather not interrupt their mooning. 

“Looking for this?”

“Eep!” Lando jumped, turning around with wide eyes to see a familiar True Beta, who had an also familiar orange tinged jacket draped on his arm. “Jesus, Charles,”

Leclerc laughed, throwing the cloth in the Omega’s face. “Someone moved it I think, it was near Kimi when I found it,” Lando hummed a thanks, immediately slipping it back on now that he had it. “How did-” he gestured to Lewis. “Go?”

“Surprisingly well, I’d say I have a budding bond with the man.” Norris replied, smiling.

“Yeah that’s what everyone thinks till he says he doesn’t care about them in a media interview,” Max grumbled, coming up to them and casting a smirk at Alex and George. Lando’s face twitched, and then succumbed to a more sad one. He shoved his hands into his pockets, then frowned when he felt a piece of paper. 

“Shut up, Verstappen,” Charles muttered, tracking Lando’s face. Max glared, a slip of his alpha pheromones permeating the air in his negative feelings. The True Beta met his eyes straight. Lando on the other hand, fished out the paper he had felt in his left pocket, confused about what he must’ve written down on it. Surely it was a reminder, but for what? Ah, this is why he’d written it down. The paper was really just a strip, long and narrow, hastily crumbled and stuffed into his jacket. He unfurled it, ignoring Max and Charles’ stare off, though he really ought to stop them before they got too much and inevitably started releasing their hormones like Lewis. 

“Oh, shit,” he whispered when he finally saw what was written on the paper. 

_ You don’t deserve being here. I’m going to prove it. _

It was typed in red ink with the obvious intention of freaking Lando out, he could recognize Times New Roman anywhere. The note did it’s job well, because he was, for sure, freaking out. A prank? Maybe it was a prank? It would make sense, and he wouldn’t put it above any of the drivers. He could just imagine one or two of them giggling at him paling and sucking in a breath.

Still, he felt a sudden, very stupid urge to cry.

“You good?” Charles questioned at the same time Max said a “what’s that?” Both focusing their attention on him, he shrugged, if it was a prank, he didn’t want anyone to know it worked. 

“It’s nothing,” 

But Max was already pressing close and trying to read the slip of paper, he narrowed his eyes. “That’s not nothing,” and then Charles was also leaning forward, a similar frown to Lando’s already on his lips. 

“It’s probably a prank, a shitty one, but a prank,” Lando said, shuffling back a bit, he shoved the paper back in his pockets. “If someone is watching, I don’t want to let them think it worked,” But Max was eyeing Charles distrustfully, while the feeling of crying only worsened for the Omega. It was weird, it really was, most days he wouldn’t care about something like this. 

“You were the one that gave his jacket back, no?” Max was only more fierce now. Lando groaned, ready to defend Charles… He hated to think about it, but it was a little odd actually. 

“I just found it in a different place so I brought it back to him!” Charles said. The Omega nodded, he couldn’t imagine him pulling something like this, it was stupid to suspect the man before. Maybe Alex or George? He let out another groan, both had started presenting their hormones again as they had another face off. It wasn’t even the type he could take comfort in because they both were being aggressive, as they always were with each other.

“Come on guys, it’s something stupid, I don’t want to make a thing out of it,” Lando gently pushed the two in opposite directions, away from each other. They relaxed slightly but only slightly. “We have a movie to watch anyway, eh?” He bumped shoulders with Max, trying to get the other to ease up and then flashed a smile to Charles, who looked a bit… Sad. Pushing the Alpha towards Daniel, who almost immediately swung an arm around Max and pulled him to show him some meme probably, Lando nudged Leclerc instead. “What happened?” And when he got a shake of the head, he nudged again. “Are you sure, though?”

“Perfect,” and now he looked like he really meant it, a smile slowly widening on his face. Huh, Lando’d had no idea that Max had that much of an influence on the other. He’d really have to get them to work it out at one point. Just the thought of two of his friends never being able to get along, it made him squirm, and then feel an almost foreboding sense of dread. 

His breathing quickened, his friendships really were going to hell, weren’t they? Someone’s hand took his arm, pushing back his sleeve and gently brushing his skin. “Lando,” Charles whispered. “Look,” He did. 

Tiny blue spots, dots really spread across his upper forearm, some faded and dull and some more bright. They were only a small cluster for now, clearly just appearing a little while ago. Lando let a sigh escape him, that explained the darker thoughts clouding his mind. And also his inability to deal with the stronger pheromones of the others. Explained, but didn’t stop. He felt weary, and he didn’t even have his pills. “Your eyes flashed for a second, so I just… Assumed?” the True Beta next to him said cautiously. 

“Thanks!” Lando gave him a quick hug too, he wasn’t yet used to people being nice. “I’d better pop up, and stock up,” Couldn’t not giggle at that, sometimes he actually was good at english. 

“Want me to come with?”

_ Yes _ . “Nah, I’ll just be a minute, wouldn’t want to keep you away,” he smiled before dashing out the room and towards the elevators. His heat couldn’t have come at a worse time, he didn’t even know if he actually had the pills. Crossing his fingers, he muttered a quick cuss as he stepped into the elevators. 

When he actually reached though, there was a slip of paper under his door. Raising an eyebrow (and quickly looking around only to see no one), he picked it up. There, in red ink and Times New Roman font was another message. 

_ You shouldn’t be here, little Omega.  _


	2. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And life continues normally...  
> \---  
> This is the shorted chapter overall I think.

About three days had passed since that night, no more notes. Definitely a prank, but Lando did find it a little odd that the pranker hadn’t actually come out to either laugh in his face about how freaked out he must’ve looked. Good for them though, if he knew who it was by now he would’ve sicced Max on them. 

He carefully took one of his heat pills, watching the blue spots fade slightly showing that it was working before pocketing the pack. The effect wasn’t immediate, but it was almost like he could feel the gradual lessening of his weariness. It was a qualifying day, so being right in the middle of his heat wasn’t ideal, but he’d raced like this before. Pulling his sleeves down to cover the spots again, his thoughts again wandered to the movie night. It couldn’t have been Charles, could it have? No, Lando trusted him enough, and he was genuinely surprised at the note, almost as disapproving as Max. Again, he thought of Alex and George. But they would have told him, either out of defeat or out of guilt.

Soon he was out of the room, Carlos by his side as they prepared for the day ahead. The two had woken up quite early and were heading down for breakfast, messing around as usual. Some of the other drivers were also down there, Lando quickly spotted George, Alex, and Max lighting up at the sight of them. Sainz actually usually preferred to eat with two of his engineers and his trainor, apparently one of them had been with him in a previous team as well. Sometimes Lando joined them, other times like now, he went to sit with the other young drivers. 

“Where’s Charles?” he questioned after he’d taken his food from the breakfast buffet. 

“Of course you’d ask that,” George grinned at Max’s frown. “He’s off with Gasly, I’d assume,”

“And he should stay there,” Verstappen muttered. 

“He’s part of the gang now, Max,” Alex said, but the A-Beta sympathetically patted his friend’s hand before returning it to its original place slung around the sofa seat, and coincidentally around George as well. Now it was Lando’s turn to grin, he ignored the kick he got from George under the table. He’d just started to dig into his food, giving a small thanks when someone dropped a glass of water next to him. That’s when he noticed a familiar shape on the outside of the glass, some water had poured on the slip of paper, making it stick to the glass. Lando froze for a mini second, then wrenched out the paper. 

_ I’ll see you on the grid, Omega.  _

The Omega paled, immediately searching around, but whoever it was who had placed the water there was gone. Still, his eyes raked over the people around him, but there was no way of telling who it was. No one’s eyes passed over him, or glanced nearby, or even had their feet facing the way of the table. 

“Lando?” Alex’s concerned voice broke through. The three were all staring at him, then Max snatched the paper out of his hands, eyes already narrowed into barely visible slits. The Alpha’s attention also turned to the surrounding area, scanning every person in their immediate vicinity. Lando shook his head, signalling that there was nothing to be gained from that. His shoulders had hunched up, his neck sinking in like turtle’s. Max scowled at the paper. 

“Stupid prank,” the Omega murmured, but one look from the Alpha next to him and he knew the both of them were thinking the same thing. 

“What?” it was George who asked now, both him and Alex looking a cross between annoyed and worried. Max passed them the paper. 

“This the third one, two others showed up three days ago,” Lando said. 

“ _ Two _ others?’ Max whirled around to face him, the Omega gave a weak smile in hopes of calming down the other. He hadn’t wanted it to be a big deal, he still didn’t. “You’ve got to tell your team,”

“This doesn’t seem like a prank,” George noted. “But to be honest, you never know. Some driver could be trying to spook you or something, maybe they do this to rookies? Who here’s into hazing?”

“How do you know it’s even a prank? And why’s it an entire year late?” Alex countered. 

“It says ‘see you on the grid’, and it was there on the drivers night three days ago, obviously it’s one of them, then,” Max said.

“Let’s not talk about this,” Lando stared at his food, his appetite was gone, but if he wanted to keep up his energy especially during his heat, he’d need those extra calories. Thankfully heat pills always worked well for him, these little notes wouldn't make him feel as down as last time. 

“This isn’t a prank, it’s a threat, this kind of ‘hazing’ would get someone into deep trouble,” Max continued, ignoring the other’s words. “And why does this dude always call you an ‘Omega’? Is this some kind of prejudice thing?”

“It better not be,” George growled, his A-Beta hormones slipping through, Lando could sense the anger underlining them. He had to be grateful for his taste in friends, they were absolutely amazing. 

“Okay,” Alex intervened before the two could continue, glancing at Norris. “Let’s move on, Lando will tell his team.” It wasn’t a question, not even an affirmation, a statement. Which erased all the doubt from Lando’s mind almost automatically, before Lando realized Alex too wasn’t completely masking his hormones, and they were influencing him. He glared at the taller man, but even with his head clearing up and the doubts resurfacing, he couldn’t go around not telling anyone. 

So he did. Jon immediately wanted to see the notes, but Lando could only provide the most recent one. The other two were somewhere crumpled up in the hotel dustbin. He recounted the entire experience to his PR team, to the McLaren team, and then again to Jon and Rian, who was basically the Jon equivalent of PR. 

“This doesn’t look serious enough for anything other than extra security to be honest,” Rian sympathetically patted Lando’s back, the rest of the McLaren team agreed. They’d up his security a bit, but all of the notes just seemed to hate mail, trying to spook or embarrass the driver. No illegal intent was seen, just yet. “Of course, I want your safety way more, but we can’t ask for anything else without further proof or justification.” Lando nodded, unlike Jon, he didn’t mind the lack of action. 

“We’re not making a big deal then, right?” 

“We should be,” Jon said. 

“We got your back, Norris,” Rian clapped him on the shoulder. He was only a few years older than Lando himself, which the latter appreciated, he loved Jon but the man had several parental tendencies. 

“I didn’t think any of the drivers hated me so much,” the Omega attempted a joke, but it came out way too close to his emerging thoughts. 

“Who says it’s a driver?”

“How will it not be?” Lando raised an eyebrow at the A-Beta. Rian shrugged in response, waving a quick goodbye to Jon who was leaving grumpily. 

“Either way, if anyone doesn’t like you, it shows they have poor judge of character,” Rian offered, giving a wide white toothed smile. “Actually, it doesn’t even seem like they have something against you yourself. Just the ‘Omega’ part, someone’s a little traditional,”

Ocon, Grosjean, Latifi, Kyvyat, Bottas. The first names to pop into his head at the word ‘traditional’. Coincidentally all either A-Betas or Alphas. He voiced them out to Rian, but none of the aforementioned seemed ‘traditional’ in this sense. Well except maybe Ocon, not Latifi or Kyvyat, those two were sweethearts. “You haven’t really talked to any of them much,” Rian said. “Don’t know if they’re sweethearts or not,”

“I can’t imagine any of them doing it,” the Omega admitted. 

“Get some rest for now okay? You’ve still got a long day ahead of you, use your free time wisely,” but pairing that sentence with a wink, Rian was making his intentions clear. 

“Oh shut up,”

“What? No one to spend time with?”

“Not in that way,” remarked Lando, unable to stop a blush from forming. Rian gave his cheek a small pinch and then danced away before the former could hit him, he left laughing about he hoped his wife had some food ready because he was starving. Lando shook his head, now only about two hours till qualifying began. 

***

“Why didn’t you tell me about the notes?” Carlos pouted when they were both cooling down after qualifying. 

“What?”

“You know, the notes, the little threatening ones,”

“I didn’t really tell anyone except Jon and the rest of the team to be honest,” Lando shrugged. “Other people were just there to see it,” But even his obliviousness couldn’t hide Carlos’ hurt. “I thought it was a prank at first, and I didn’t want it to be a big deal. It only  _ became _ a deal like today morning, you would’ve known before twenty four hours were up, I swear, mate.” he tried to amend. The A-Beta nodded, but his arms were still crossed even as he leaned back on the pool chair. 

Lando sighed, Carlos wasn’t wrong though. He let some of his own hormones out, hoping the other would sense the guilt and honesty. It would take a minute or two though, he wasn’t quite good at doing anything with his hormones except masking them, a trait many Omegas had to learn as children. So he concentrated, envisioning a switch in his brain, and balancing that switch carefully at the halfway point, not fully out, not fully in. He'd underestimated himself, because of his heat, his hormones were much stronger and they filled up the small space between him and Carlos. The other looked over surprised, Lando hardly ever released his hormones in front of other people, before races he usually would, but only when it was only him and Jon and only because keeping them masked for so long got exhausting and messed with his brain. 

He hastily let the switch snap back to ‘off’, but the scent lingered for a while. Carlos reached over and squeezed his hand. “Let’s go for a swim,” the older man gestured toward the mostly empty pool. 

***

“No more notes?” was the first thing Max said when Lando called him the day after so they could play COD together. 

“You’re more worried than me,”

“Well someone has to be,”

“You and Jon can make a club then,” Lando hummed, his stomach growled. He still had no appetite, but he couldn’t deny his body food. His feet moved heavily, his hand loosely clutching the phone through which he was talking to Max. “Reckon I can invite Charles?”

Max grumbled almost as loud as his stomach. 

“This is a great time for bonding, over the phone, where I am not there physically,”

“And why is that so bad? Oh because Leclerc is there,”

“No because both of you start showing your alpha hormones trying to overpower each other or whatever and I start getting lightheaded,” 

“Oh… Sorry,”

“It’s fine it’s not your guys’ fault technically, I’m just not exposed that much,” Lando sighed, opening his fridge to see if he had any tasteless food because he wasn’t sure how his body would handle it if he ate something flavourful. 

“You mask yourself too much, mate. Doesn’t that also contribute to being more affected by other hormones?”

The Omega winced, technically he wasn’t masking himself anymore. He did feel more loose, more relaxed, and his normal headache didn’t plague him as much. “It would be weird, you have this comfortable environment and suddenly some jarringly sweet syrupy smell permeates the air. Not to mention, the reporters would have a field day with how I’m acting ‘inappropriate’ or whatever.”

“Well your vocabulary certainly has improved,” Max replied dryly. “You’re not the only Omega in racing, not the first in F1 ei-”

“I know that!” Lando interrupted. “It’s easy for you to say, so many other Alphas. I don’t have anyone else. I’m not comfortable okay? Neither is the rest of the world,” he ignored the way his voice cracked, instead trying to put all his attention on the small amount of oatmeal in front of him. 

Max stayed quiet for a few seconds, no doubt mulling over the awkwardness Lando had just presented. “We got your back, me, Alex, Carlos, and the rest.”

A small smile appeared on Lando’s face. “Yeah, I know,” Though a small, stupid voice in the back of his head brought on the thought about how it had to be one of the drivers sending him those notes. He shook his head, adamant to get rid of that. His phone screen lit up again as another caller ID appeared. “Hold on, duty calls, I’ll be back in five minutes,” The call cut and he immediately accepted the new one. “What’s up Rian?”

“Lando, you’ve  _ got _ to see this,”


	3. 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My AO3 was glitching from November to December, and I wasn't able to post anything much less a new chapter on an existing work :( It started working in 2021, but I didn't check up until now, and I apologize for the wait! Good thing, I finished the story and I can upload both chapters right now. 
> 
> (Also, I've barely edited this so if there's any grammar mistake please point them out!)

His phone had been blowing up with messages and posts for twenty minutes now, most on the group chat shared by him, Alex, George and Charles. Rian too had talked about the situation five minutes too long. 

Lando though, was still watching the video on repeat. Max hadn’t called him back, knowing he wouldn’t want to talk right now after he discovered the situation, instead he had a string of texts left. Ocon was in some deep trouble online, some people were demanding an apology, some people were saying this was a misunderstanding, some people were agreeing with him. That last group of people, the ones who vehemently stood against Omegas and women in F1, that even having O-Betas was ‘pushing it’, Lando despised them. 

Esteban had done some recent Instagram interview, and made some… Jokes about the hate groups and about siding with them. Jokes about how people like Lando were relegated to a specific ‘job’ which they should stick to. Burning over the three past F1 Omega winners’ accomplishments, drowning the few female ones’ successes, and stepping on the dreams of the countless young ones currently in racing. In simple terms, he’d done an oopsie. And the internet wasn’t about to let him get away with it. Staring at the captions, mulling over the words in his head, and receiving a text from Charles which confirmed that he wasn’t crazy, he wondered whether he should press the call button. Did he really feel like talking?

Good thing he didn’t have to make the decision, the other had called first. “You think Esteban sent those notes too?”

“It does look like it,” the True Beta’s voice crackled through the phone, but the sound of it almost immediately calmed Lando’s hummingbird heart and snapped him out of the bland loop of rewatching Ocon’s events. “I swear though, if he was the one to do it, I’ll knock him one right in his face.”

Lando couldn’t help but let out a small giggle. “As if you’d ever hit someone,”

“Don’t underestimate me,” Charles’ pout was almost audible, Lando could envision it forming in his mind. He sighed, more relaxed now, Leclerc tended to have that effect. Now if only Lando could have the physical reassurance too. “Honestly, I was suspecting Stroll as well, he and Ocon are kind of close. I would be lying if I said I haven’t seen him throw you dirty looks, especially when you got your podium. Your omega hormones were all over the place-” Lando groaned. “No don’t be like that, it was really nice, you were happy and so was everyone else. Anyway, he seemed extra annoyed that day,”

Norris leaned against the wall as Charles’ continued to talk in that chocolatey accent of his. “Honestly, Grosjean was the same way. Could this be a joint effort? I won’t race until someone kicks them out the-”

“It doesn’t make sense. Why risk so much for _me_?” Lando murmured. “There has to be something personal, Rian’s older brother was in racing, but he got beat by someone and that embarrassed him so much in his family and town that it changed him. Rian’s always spoken of that person with so much anger, it scares me. Does any one of them have Omega problems?”

“Who’s Rian?”

The Omega almost laughed at Charles’ icy tone. “He’s part of my PR team, was that the only thing you got from what I said?”

“Up for, what do you call them? I can never keep up with you British people,” 

Lando grinned. “Research race it is, Charlie.”

***

They had barely found anything in the hour they’d spent researching that day. Lando had to leave early because Rian was urging him to make a public statement, which he wasn’t sure how to do. In the end he’d ended up vaguely referring to it during one of his streams. His sleep that night had been filled with sweating, shivering and general unease. 

“Not this shit again,” his heart couldn’t take so much stress, not after the race yesterday. Another slip of paper peeked out from under his door. Snatching it up, he sent a picture to Rian, Jon, the groupchat, Max and Carlos before actually reading lest he doesn’t end up causing someone’s feelings to be hurt again. Blue spots dotted up and down his arm, and his pills were so far away too. He sank to the floor, ending up sitting on his knees with tears filling his eyes, blurring his sight as he tried to frustratedly read the note. 

_You and your stupid scents have ruined careers, all because of your ‘special fragileness and situation’_

Another choked sob escaped him. Logically, he knew it was his heat that was causing this, it may be the last day of heat for him but that didn’t decrease its strength. The logic didn’t hold back the wave of emotion crashing over him either. He couldn't even find it in him to move to the nearby couch, instead curling up on the floor. Time passed, he wasn’t sure how much, maybe thirty minutes? But it was enough for the feeling to lessen, and for the will for him to change his situation to come back. 

His feet dragged himself to where his pills were and he swallowed them dry. 

***

“What’s up with Dan and Carlos?” 

“What happened between them now?”

Charles took a moment to think, as soon as Lando had felt better he had called Charles and then begged him to not conspirize about the event further. He didn’t want to talk about it. But he still had to tell Rian and Jon of course, so he shot them a quick text, the same one he texted Max, Carlos, Alex and George. That wouldn’t even have happened if Charles hadn’t coerced him into doing it. “I’m just going to say it, Dan and me were talking about his move to McLaren and Carlos came up and he just got stilted. Then he mumbled something about being confused about him, and we moved on.”

“Dan and I,” Lando corrected, letting out a small giggle at Charles’ cussing in response. “I get what you mean, even I noticed it, maybe I should ask them.”

“Or tell them to ask each other,”

“We’ll see,” the Omega tilted his head, confused, but he chose not to mention it. His phone dinged, it was Rian again, updating him on his new security measures. “God, I’m so glad my PR manager is my actual friend. How would someone ingenuine react to something like this?”

“Rian,” Charles echoed from before. Lando nodded happily, feeling much better than before. “Um, Lando, I was wondering, next race week uh there’s a really famous coffee shop there but uh, Pierre refuses to go with me-”

“And you don’t want to go alone?” he guessed. “Coffee is amazing, I don’t know why he’s saying no. But don’t worry, your knight in shining armor is here to save you from awkward lonely moments in popular coffee shops,” A few seconds passed, Lando frowned at his phone, he couldn’t even hear the other breathe. Sweat broke out on his forehead. “That is, er, if you want me to?”

“Yes!” Charles’ voice boomed out. “Yes, I do,” The sweat was immediately replaced by a smile, a connection error between their phones most likely then. “Uh, I’ll text you the details, how much french do you know?” 

“Is it a french shop?”

“No,”

“Wow this question makes perfect sense in context,” his smile widened when he heard Charles’ deep laugh. “To answer that, none. Languages aren’t my strong suit.”

“I see,” his voice somehow deepened further, almost raspy. The Omega couldn’t help but press his ear against his phone when Charles’ spoke again, it was so _chocolatey_. “Ach, we have a team meeting, I’ll talk to you later, mon rêve, bye,”

“Mo-what?” but it was too late, the call had been ended. Lando stared in confusion at his phone for a few seconds, it wasn’t unusual for nicknames in other languages to be directed at him. But usually they would inform him of whatever insult they meant. Is this why Charles had asked the French question? To insult him without Lando knowing? It shouldn’t cause him so much sadness, after all Max and Carlos had both done similar things before relenting and telling him, but he felt an inexplicable sense of shame. He shook his head, he had other things to do then dwell on something like this like an insecure freshman. 

***

“Your turn,”

“What?”

“What is going on with you and Dan? Everyone else has also noticed it, you know?” Lando crossed his arms, unconsciously imitating Carlos from when they had talked about the notes situation. The Spaniard started to sigh but before a word could come out, Lando spoke first. “Don’t give me any of that, I already told Daniel to come here and he’s arriving in twenty minutes. You guys are going to sort this out, okay?”

“Lando!” the A-Beta was aghast, and like most people under great emotion, his hormones slipped into the air. 

“I really want both of you guys to be happy and comfortable, let me help you get whatever this is off your chest,” Lando insisted, twitching a bit as the hormones hit him. He endeavoured to not let Carlos’ negative reaction get to him, focusing to figure out what exactly the emotion was would only give him another headache. Turns out he didn’t need to focus, because Carlos wasn’t masking himself anymore. It was full of betrayal. 

“It’s weird,” the taller admitted finally. Lando nodded, still trying to get his bearings, he knew if he stopped masking himself it would be easier to fight the biological urge to just drop to the floor. But he found he couldn’t, the only thing separating him and Carlos from the outside area were thin walls, and Dan could come soon. He wouldn’t be able to handle turning his hormones off if he let them be on in the first place. Unsure of what to say (and whether he could say it all), Lando only offered what he hoped was an empathetic look. “He’s so- how do you say it- in your face,” Carlos carefully enunciated the last three words, hands flying up to rub at his temples. 

“Dan?”

“I get it! He’s moving here next season! You don’t see me doing that with _my_ move,” Carlos snapped at no one in particular, his scent (or aura really) turning more aggressive. 

“He’s just excited a bit, you know? Getting out of Renault,”

Carlos didn’t seem to listen, burying his head in his hands. A knock on the door and Daniel was entering, immediately on edge sensing the distress in the room. “Uh,” was all the oldest said to announce his arrival. Lando’s lightheaded feeling only worsened because of course Dan’s Alpha hormones were also filling the place, the natural response to this situation, except Alpha hormones were even stronger and he felt so _pliable_. He couldn’t stand it. 

“Okay, you guys can’t leave till you’re sorted and calmed down,” he muttered before rushing out of the room and shutting the door. Immediately, the cool professional workplace cleared his head, his chest loosening. He plopped down on the floor, leaning against the wall.

“What’s happening in there?” Rian asked, putting a hand on Lando’s shoulder in concern. The Omega huffed out a small summary, repeating some of what Charles had said earlier as well. The sympathetic look didn’t change on the other’s face but when he spoke it was accompanied with a well known chuckle and a pat on the back. “Ah these Alphas and A-Betas, always a fight for those ones, both capable yet both a bit hard headed, huh?”

“Wouldn’t describe them as hard headed exa-”

“It comes with the Alpha hormones,” Rian shrugged, ignoring the way the other raised an eyebrow. “I’ll leave you to it, find me if you don’t feel good, okay?” And then he was off, Lando still alone sitting cross legged waiting for two of his friends to stop acting like high schoolers. 

Almost instinctively, he texted Charles. After all, the other was the reason that Lando had actually set the event up, the final push. Leclerc responded just a few seconds later, his promptness made Lando smile, his heart fluttering to see it so soon. His caller ID lit up the screen, the Omega immediately pressed the accept button, trying not to dwell on these new revelations. “Hey,”

“How are you feeling?” Charles’ voice had an undercurrent of buzz, one unusual for him. 

“Fine, why?”

“I think I have an idea about your…” the True Beta paused, a small sneer slipping through. “Troublesome person.”

Lando swallowed. “Oh?”

“Stroll was talking about it to Pierre, and of course Pierre told me,” Charles started, slowly. The Omega had always known Pierre and Charles were close, like brothers the two would say, and always Lando had felt a jab in his ribs when seeing their friendship. He’d never thought about it, until certain thoughts had come to light recently. Knowing he couldn’t deal with them right now, he still tried to lock away that revelation but it was hard when he talked to Charles so much. It was hard because he hadn’t realized how dependent he’d come to be on the other man for his mental state. It was hard because the door had opened and both Carlos’ and Daniel’s hormones flowed out and Lando just wanted to run to Charles. “Apparently Magnussen was talkin-”

“Wait a second, I’m sorry but I’ll call you back!” Lando quickly whispered before cutting the call against his heart’s wishes. Then he turned to Daniel and Carlos, both looking a bit sheepish. The two had switched off their hormones too, but it lingered. “Well?”

They exchanged a look. “It’s… Better now,” Carlos finally said. 

“You going to say what it was about?”

“I’ll leave that up to him,” Daniel grimaced, but smiled when he caught Lando’s eye and made a bit of an awkward exit. Once he was gone, Carlos let out a sigh. 

“I was just a bit sad, okay? About next year,”

“You’ve got a great seat, Carlos,” Lando said earnestly. 

“Yes, I know that. But I will miss a few things here,” Carlos looked down at his feet before turning a more bittersweet smile that Lando would’ve liked. The taller didn’t say anything else, and Lando obliged, instead getting up to give the other a hug when Carlos frowned. “Another one?”

“What?”

Carlos pointed to where a tiny slip of paper had fallen on the floor, probably as Lando had gotten up. He plucked it off the ground and the two read it together. 

_kevin 2014 u arrogant brat_

“Charles was just talking about Magnussen,” Lando breathed out. 

“You knew him six years ago?”

The Omega shook his head. “No, I don’t remember ever even having a proper conversation with him aside from formalities since I joined F1 much less before.”

He chewed on his lip, how had the slip of paper even come here? Kevin hadn’t passed him by, seeing the driver near McLaren would’ve dragged Lando’s attention for sure. Hardly anyone had even walked in front of him. Except… “Rian,”


	4. 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I might just make more works in this universe but I'm not sure, tell me if you guys want a sequel!
> 
> (Also, this is mostly unedited so if there are any grammar/spelling mistakes, please point them out!)

“Explain yourself,” Lando barged right into Rian’s office, throwing the piece of paper on his desk where it fluttered down weakly. Carlos was right behind him, probably looking even more intimidating. If Lando even looked a bit mad, mostly it was betrayal that filled him, he’d trusted Rian with so much and for him to go pulling this off with Magnussen?

“What?” Rian asked, his voice innocent enough but Lando hated the way he caught the almost smirk on the other’s face. 

“You’re helping Magnussen with all of this!” 

“I won’t hesitate to call security,” Carlos added, hand already fishing in his pocket for his phone. 

Rian’s face fell, and when he spoke there was an icy undertone. “You still haven’t figured it out? You still fell for some stupid gossip on the grid? Do you even remember Kevin?” The A-Beta’s aggressive hormones filled the place up, and god, they were so much worse than Carlos’. Lando struggled to hold himself up, it wasn’t his resolve to not let out his hormones that was made of steel, it was the sheer amount of time he’d spent doing that. Since he’d started, warning everywhere, he was privileged enough that he could afford to take a small break or time to just relax whenever he wasn’t at home. But since starting in F1, he’d suppressed it all more than normal. Now if he let it out, no, it wouldn’t feel right, his mind rebelled against the mere thought. “Don’t you get distracted on me!”

“Hey man, calm down,” Carlos placated Rian, still wary, one hand reaching out for Lando. But Lando stood his ground in front of his PR manager, even though it made him physically nauseous. 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,  _ why _ are you doing this?”

“2014, it was in Europe only, a race, an important one,” Rian’s eyes flashed a sickening yellow. “You ruined someone that day,”

The urge to move away dug into Lando’s skin, but still he spoke, trying not to grit his teeth as he did. “I still don’t know,” the lightheaded feeling worsened when Carlos drew closer though he knew he should feel relieved. “I’m so confused,”

“Oh that’s great, you send my brother into depression and you don’t even remember his name!” Rian slammed his fists on the wall before turning his yellow gaze on Lando, who couldn’t help but take a step back, his sight becoming blurry. Carlos of course stepped in front of him, he had his phone out and Lando saw the screen open on messages. 

“Your brother,” the Omega murmured, the same brother who’d been beaten in a race. But Lando had never embarrassed anyone like that, he hadn’t. His breathing quickened, he hadn’t. 

“You good, cabron?” Carlos’ voice was muffled and now Lando was actually starting to worry at his body’s reaction. It wasn’t natural. His teammate continued to say something, but facing away from him now, towards Rian. Still everything seemed like it was underwater, his knees shook as he tried to blink away the fog in his eyes. 

“Kevin Marino, say his goddamn name!” Rian’s voice though, still rang loud and clear, piercing through the babble that was everything else. “You know how useless I felt? Watching my older brother crumble, names thrown at him so bad they would puncture my skin too!”

“I-I’m sorry,” Lando choked out, his own voice far too meek to pierce through Rian’s air of hatred. 

The room was silent once again, and this time Carlos opened his mouth but before he could Rian lunged at Lando. The Omega stumbled back, his senses deafening and his eyes seeing more black than actual sight. A roar and the pressure on his chest was gone, but still his heart constricted along with his ribcage. Then his eyes were gone too. 

***

He woke up to his chest constricting. 

“Woah, calm down, mon rêve,” Charles was putting his hands on Lando’s shoulders, his light eyes filled with concern. “You’re in the break room, some of the other drivers were also here but they left when you started stirring.”

Lando murmured a thank you, blinking his eyes, trying to breathe slower. That’s when he noticed Pierre was also there, hanging back with his arms crossed but a kind expression on his face. His eyesight was still a little fuzzy, making the two drivers in between solid and blurry. The blonde gently moved forward when he saw Lando, his O-Beta hormones out and open, filling up the air of the small room. Unlike the Alpha ones, this was  _ almost _ comforting.

“You got a little overwhelmed,” said Pierre quietly, like loud sounds would set Lando off. He shifted uncomfortably, sympathetic looks were not often targeted at him from fellow drivers. Charles too was releasing his True Beta hormones, not to the extent of the Pierre but very lightly, just barely over the line. But it was nice. It felt nice. Lando wanted to fall asleep. But the way the other two stood tense informed him that probably wasn’t a good idea. He pushed himself up, a stabbing pain emerging from his forehead. “Careful, want some water?”

“You guys are being so nice,” Lando blurted. Pierre let out a short laugh, Charles’ smiled, but his eyes stayed focused on the Omega. 

“Would you prefer us… Not to be?”

Lando frantically shook his head no, then groaned as another ache assaulted him. Migraines. “No,” he said, using his words instead. Both of them had moved closer, their hormones blanketing him like a shield. “I’m just not sure I’ve warranted this,” 

The True Beta’s face gave way to a frown. “That man was crazy!” he exclaimed, his accent becoming thicker the louder his voice rose. “I swear, something was wrong with him, who does that? Even for revenge, no one goes that far, it’s stupid. He’s stupid,” His hands were still on Lando’s shoulders, emanating warmth through the hoodie the latter wore. “We actually asked some of the other drivers to leave, this sport is filled to the brim with Alphas,”

“Lando, what do you think it was that made you faint?” Pierre asked, taking another step forward. “Because,” his voice went soft, gentle, sympathetic. “I don’t think it was just from the stress,”

The Omega bit back a groan, this was embarrassing. It was all embarrassing. The weight of Charles on his shoulder too was gone, leaving him stranded in humiliating territory without a backup. “You know how we have to like, release our hormones and chill for a while, right?” Of course they knew, because they were normal, and didn’t possess the same lack of intelligence which plagued Lando. “Yeah well, I don’t really… Do that a lot. It feels weird. In front of… Everyone else. But other people don’t have that problem so it kind of-”

“That’s called repression, mon bonheur,” Charles interrupted. “It happens sometimes with Omegas and O-Betas in sports, you become much more sensitive than. Get sick,”

“You should’ve told your trainer,” Pierre piped up. 

Jon’s smiling face bloomed in Lando’s mind, he’d always been understanding especially of things like this. The only thing standing in the way of that conversation was - Lando hung his head- shame. “It’s stupid though, I was doing fine. Not my fault some crazy guy who I actually thought was my friend decided to go all borderline harassment,” He winced at the silence that followed. “Sorry for oversharing?”

Pierre and Charles had matching sympathetic stances, must be best friend things. 

“I thought it would be bigger,” Lando softly admitted. “Some grand face-off. When really, I fainted at the first sign of distress, and woke up safe.”

“No, you fainted because you don’t take care of yourself,” Pierre said. Lando closed his eyes, preparing himself for the heartfelt conversation and lecture he would most likely receive. “This is important, especially in the sport, you could’ve gotten hurt in the car. Imagine the consequences? From now on, you come to me.”

“Huh?”

Pierre’s mouth was set in a line. “You’re uncomfortable with alphas, yes? Then you come to me. We’re the closest biologically, and you come to me.” The O-Beta said it so straightforwardly, as if it was a fact, a simple known variable. Grateful words spilt out of Lando’s lips, but Pierre waved them away, shooting an indecipherable glance at Charles and leaving the room. 

“Uh, did I? Um, do something?” Lando watched him exit, not even a goodbye. Charles frantically shook his head. 

“No!” he exclaimed, then took a breath, and spoke in his inside voice. “I just have something… You trust me right?” The Omega nodded before the question was over, hand unconsciously reaching out to the other. Charles looked at it briefly, Lando’s hand just floating in the air for a few seconds. He blushed, already pulling it back before the True Beta grabbed it, covering the former’s hands with both of his. 

“I didn’t mean to make you worry,”

“I imagine you’ll be saying that to a lot of people,” he snickered, but it held so much warmth that it made Lando’s hands sweat. The Omega groaned. 

“I don’t have the energy to deal with that,”

Charles pursed his lips. “Okay,” He stood up, still holding on to Lando. “Come on, mon bonheur,”

“Still don’t know what that means,” 

He laughed, a light sound wafting over Lando’s ears. One glance outside the window alerted Lando to the fact that it was dark outside, how long had he been unconscious? Why hadn’t anyone checked up on him? He hesitated when the True Beta pulled him along towards the door. Still staring outside, an unnerving feeling growing in his stomach. 

“What?” said Charles, like soft flower petals yet they still pierced through the bubble of introspectivity covering Lando. 

“I’m just really confused,”

“About?”

“What happened,”

“Well, you fainted, Carlos carried you here-”

Lando choked. “Carried?”

“Bridal style,” Charles affirmed, and though his tone was teasing, his face was pinched, as if trying not to let something else show. “Then we had the emergency nurses check up on you, they recommended rest and for any Omegas to come and soothe you. Also electrolytes, which you drank in a haze of half consciousness.”

“Omegas?”

“There were a couple workers, but lots of us, Alex, George, Carlos, and me too didn’t think you’d be comfortable with waking up to some rando. Pierre came in though, and shooed everyone else out. Dan had to carry Max out actually. He felt real guilty because he’d been suspicious and never acted on it-”

“But it wasn’t his fault! Where’s my phone? I need to tell him!”

Charles raised an eyebrow. “Thought you weren’t feeling up to it,”

“I can’t let him feel bad,”

“Maybe you try to feel better first,” and they were moving again. Charles pushed open the door with his back, looking at Lando as he continued talking. “I um,” then it was him who stopped, his eyeline on Lando’s face but anywhere except his eyes. “I stayed too, because I couldn’t do any harm.”

“You didn’t have to,”

“But I wanted to.”

And Lando blushed again, but it felt different from the several times before, warm but not humid, not hot, just warm. 

“Rian’s still held by the police a-”

“No thanks,” Lando quickly said, they entered the elevator right outside. “I don’t want to know right now,” Charles’ other eyebrow went up too, but he didn’t say anything. “Just, I’m feeling better. I don’t want to let him taint it. Though I suppose I probably hurt him first,”

“Lando, no. Never. You didn’t do anything. Unfortunately, someone else deteriorated, but not because of you.” his tone was so definite, so powerful, so unlike the gentleness lining it previously. Lando was stunned for a moment, unsure of how to respond. Their hands weren’t connected anymore, space so apparent between the two. 

“Deteriorated, huh? You’re english is getting better than mine,” he croaked out. Charles’ gave him a blinding smile. The elevator dinged. “Wait, where are we going?”

They exited on to the roof of the building, all plain expanse. The night was getting older, crowds thinning out. Wayward leaves dotted the cement ground, the moon painting light over the concrete, softening. The wind kissed their faces and arms, almost hovering gently in the expanse. Lights winked from the view, like even the city was having a conversation while Lando and Charles stood silent. The Omega shivered, though not from the weather, he leaned against the wall next to the elevator. Charles’ cheeks were only slightly red, standing out against the pale pallor of his chiseled face. “I love life,” he breathed, eyes fixated on the sky. A few wispy clouds still covered the endless sea above, hiding the stars farther away. 

“Me too,” said Lando softly, he wanted to reach out and hold Charles’ hand. Tug the other down right next to him. But he didn’t. He only observed as the moon shone a spotlight on the other. 

Then Charles’ turned towards him. Their eyes held each other. “Thank you,”

“You have nothing to thank me for, mon rêve,”

And perhaps, in that moment, Lando could guess what those words meant. Or at the least, he could hope. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys liked the anticlimatic ending :)


End file.
